Transcriptome dynamics in early in vivo developing and in vitro produced porcine embryos

Abstract

Background The transcriptional changes around the time of embryonic genome activation in pre-implantation embryos indicate that this process is highly dynamic. In vitro produced porcine blastocysts are known to be less competent than in vivo developed blastocysts. To understand the conditions that compromise developmental competence of in vitro embryos, it is crucial to evaluate the transcriptional profile of porcine embryos during pre-implantation stages. In this study, we investigated the transcriptome dynamics in in vivo developed and in vitro produced 4-cell embryos, morulae and hatched blastocysts. Results In vivo developed and in vitro produced embryos displayed largely similar transcriptome profiles during development. Enriched canonical pathways from the 4-cell to the morula transition that were shared between in vivo developed and in vitro produced embryos included oxidative phosphorylation and EIF2 signaling. The shared canonical pathways from the morula to the hatched blastocyst transition were 14–3-3-mediated signaling, xenobiotic metabolism general signaling pathway, and NRF2-mediated oxidative stress response. The in vivo developed and in vitro produced hatched blastocysts further were compared to identify molecular signaling pathways indicative of lower developmental competence of in vitro produced hatched blastocysts. A higher metabolic rate and expression of the arginine transporter SLC7A1 were found in in vitro produced hatched blastocysts. Conclusions Our findings suggest that embryos with compromised developmental potential are arrested at an early stage of development, while embryos developing to the hatched blastocyst stage display largely similar transcriptome profiles, irrespective of the embryo source. The hatched blastocysts derived from the in vitro fertilization-pipeline showed an enrichment in molecular signaling pathways associated with lower developmental competence, compared to the in vivo developed embryos.

Mitochondrial supplementation of Sus scrofa metaphase II oocytes alters DNA methylation and gene expression profiles of blastocysts

“…In all, 10,542 and 10,518 genes had at least 1 count per million reads (CPM) after TMM normalisation and correction for batch effect in ICSI- and mICSI-derived blastocyst RNAseq data, respectively (Additional file 2 : Table S7). This indicates the number of genes expressed in blastocysts and is comparable to other reports [ 28 , 47 ].…”

Profiling the transcriptomic signatures and identifying the patterns of zygotic genome activation – a comparative analysis between early porcine embryos and their counterparts in other three mammalian species

“…The transcriptome characteristics of the zygotic genome in mice and humans have been reported [ 25 , 30 ]. Vera et al found that in vivo developed and in vitro produced porcine embryos displayed largely similar transcriptome profiles in 4-cell embryos, morulae and hatched blastocysts [ 60 ]. However, the researcher only observed embryos at three stages and no continuous evidence provided to show the global transcriptome level of porcine embryos.…”

Maslinic Acid Supplementation during the In Vitro Culture Period Ameliorates Early Embryonic Development of Porcine Embryos by Regulating Oxidative Stress

“…Embryo in vitro culture (IVC), a crucial part of the IVP procedure, is a complex system that mimics in vivo conditions [ 3 , 4 ]. During IVC, embryos are cultured in controlled laboratory settings with a synthetic medium.…”